Tag: Vladimir Putin

Trump congratulates Putin on his reelection, discusses U.S.-Russian ‘arms race’

The following article by Jenna Johnson and Anton Troianovski was posted on the Washington Post website March 20, 2018:

President Trump also said that he will discuss what he described as an “arms race” with President Putin. (The Washington Post)

President Trump congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his reelection victory in a phone call Tuesday and said he intends to meet with Putin to discuss various subjects, including an “arms race” that is “getting out of control.”

The call was initially disclosed by the Kremlin and subsequently confirmed by Trump in remarks at the White House. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he congratulated Putin on “his electoral victory,” adding that he and Putin would get together “in the not-too-distant future.” Continue reading “Trump congratulates Putin on his reelection, discusses U.S.-Russian ‘arms race’”

In a personal letter, Trump invited Putin to the 2013 Miss Universe pageant

The following article by Shane Harris, Rosalind S. Helderman and Karoun Demirjian was posted on the Washington Post website March 9, 2018:

President Trump chats with Russian President Vladimir Putin in November 2017 at a summit in the Vietnamese city of Danang. Credit: Mikhail Klimentyev/AFP/Getty Images

Donald Trump was so eager to have Vladi­mir Putin attend the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow that he wrote a personal letter to the Russian president inviting him to the event, according to multiple people familiar with the document.

At the bottom of the typed letter, Trump scrawled a postscript adding that he looked forward to seeing “beautiful” women during his trip.

Trump’s letter to Putin, which was described by people with knowledge of its contents, shows how interested he was in attracting the personal attention of the Russian president. The real estate magnate, who owned the Miss Universe pageant, wrote the note at a time when he was looking to expand his brand to Russia. Continue reading “In a personal letter, Trump invited Putin to the 2013 Miss Universe pageant”

Putin Says ‘Jews’ Possibly Behind Russian Hacking

The following article by Tom Porter of Newsweek was posted on the National Memo website March 11, 2018:

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Jews may be behind alleged meddling in the U.S. presidential election.

In an interview broadcast late Friday, Putin was asked by NBC’s Megyn Kelly whether he condoned the electoral interference by 13 Russians named in an indictment by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

“Maybe they are not even Russians but Ukrainians, Tatars or Jews, but with Russian citizenship, which should also be checked; maybe they have dual citizenship of a green card; maybe the U.S. paid them for this. How can you know that? I do not know either,” he said. Continue reading “Putin Says ‘Jews’ Possibly Behind Russian Hacking”

Whatever Trump Is Hiding Is Hurting All of Us Now

The following commentary by Thomas L. Friedman was posted on the New York Times website February 18, 2018:

Credit: Steve Sack, Star Tribune

Our democracy is in serious danger.

President Trump is either totally compromised by the Russians or is a towering fool, or both, but either way he has shown himself unwilling or unable to defend America against a Russian campaign to divide and undermine our democracy.

That is, either Trump’s real estate empire has taken large amounts of money from shady oligarchs linked to the Kremlin — so much that they literally own him; or rumors are true that he engaged in sexual misbehavior while he was in Moscow running the Miss Universe contest, which Russian intelligence has on tape and he doesn’t want released; or Trump actually believes Russian President Vladimir Putin when he says he is innocent of intervening in our elections — over the explicit findings of Trump’s own C.I.A., N.S.A. and F.B.I. chiefs. Continue reading “Whatever Trump Is Hiding Is Hurting All of Us Now”

Kremlin trolls burned across the Internet as Washington debated options

The following article by Adam Entous, Ellen Nakashima and Greg Jaffe was posted on the Washington Post website December 25, 2017:

The Washington Post examines how, nearly a year into his presidency, Trump continues to reject evidence that Russia supported his run for the White House. (Dalton Bennett, Thomas LeGro, John Parks, Jesse Mesner-Hage/The Washington Post)

The first email arrived in the inbox of CounterPunch, a left-leaning American news and opinion website, at 3:26 a.m. — the middle of the day in Moscow.

“Hello, my name is Alice Donovan and I’m a beginner freelance journalist,” read the Feb. 26, 2016, message.

The FBI was tracking Donovan as part of a months-long counterintelligence operation code-named “NorthernNight.” Internal bureau reports described her as a pseudonymous foot soldier in an army of Kremlin-led trolls seeking to undermine America’s democratic institutions. Continue reading “Kremlin trolls burned across the Internet as Washington debated options”

The White House’s odd statement about giving U.S. intelligence to Putin

The following article by Aaron Blake was posted on the Washington Post website December 18, 2017:

President Trump weighed in on Russia and North Korea on Dec. 15. (The Washington Post)

The White House did something very unusual Sunday, releasing details of a call between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin and including information about U.S. intelligence that was shared to foil a terrorist plot in Russia.

And the readout of the call sounds quite a bit like it was drafted by a certain someone — exclamation point and all. Continue reading “The White House’s odd statement about giving U.S. intelligence to Putin”

In phone call, Trump thanks Putin for praise, looks for help on North Korea

The following article by Henry C. Jackson was posted on the Politico website December 14, 2017:

President Donald Trump talked to Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone for about 10 minutes on Thursday night. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo

President Donald Trump spoke by phone with President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Thursday, talking about how they can work together to resolve the situation involving North Korea’s nuclear program, the White House said.

Trump also used the call to thank Putin for “acknowledging America’s strong economic performance in his annual press conference,” according to a White House read out of the call.

The leaders talked for about 10 minutes, and national security adviser H.R. McMaster didn’t participate in the call, a White House official said. Continue reading “In phone call, Trump thanks Putin for praise, looks for help on North Korea”

Doubting the intelligence, Trump pursues Putin and leaves a Russian threat unchecked

The following article by Greg Miller, Greg Jaffe and Philip Rucker was posted on the Washington Post website December 14, 2017:

President Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Group of 20 Summit in Hamburg in July. (Evan Vucci/AP)

In the final days before Donald Trump was sworn in as president, members of his inner circle pleaded with him to acknowledge publicly what U.S. intelligence agencies had already concluded — that Russia’s interference in the 2016 election was real.

Holding impromptu interventions in Trump’s 26th-floor corner office at Trump Tower, advisers — including Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and designated chief of staff, Reince Priebus — prodded the president-elect to accept the findings that the nation’s spy chiefs had personally presented to him on Jan. 6. Continue reading “Doubting the intelligence, Trump pursues Putin and leaves a Russian threat unchecked”

Putin is outplaying Trump in the Middle East

The following article by Ishaan Tharoor was posted on the Washington Post website December 12, 2017:

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) talks with reporters on Capitol Hill this month. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to Syria on Monday as part of a whirlwind Middle Eastern tour. Putin, who also stopped in Egypt and Turkey, met leaders, posed for photo-ops, inked a huge energy deal and, all in all, played the part of an influential international statesman. While President Trump has sparked outrage across the region, Putin played the role of sober and dependable partner.

In Cairo, Putin announced the imminent resumption of direct Russian commercial flights to the country for the first time since a plane bombing there in 2015. Discussions with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi also circled around the signing of a Russian contract for a $30 billion nuclear energy plant as well as a possible agreement for the Russian air force to use Egyptian bases. Continue reading “Putin is outplaying Trump in the Middle East”

Acts of an Adversary

The following article by Max Bergmann and Carolyn Kenney was posted on the Center for American Progress website December 5, 2017:

Russia’s Ongoing Hostilities Toward the United States and Its Allies

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks on the phone. Credit: AP/POOL SPUTNIK KREMLIN

Overview

Russia is pursuing a concerted strategy to undermine American democracy and U.S. national interests. These are the actions of an adversary not an ally.

Introduction and summary

Russia’s efforts to attack and undermine American democracy did not begin or end with the 2016 election. Russia’s vast espionage and cybercapabilities continue to target the United States government, its citizens, as well as America’s democratic allies around the world.

This report outlines Russia’s continuing hostile actions toward the United States and its allies. It finds that the election of Donald Trump has not resulted in the Kremlin changing course or reducing its hostile actions toward the United States. Russia continues to: Continue reading “Acts of an Adversary”